At the age of 15, I remember sitting in the middle of Commerce Class where the substitute teacher taught us a phrase that would shape the way we buy goods and services: “Caveat Emptor”. A Latin phrase that means “let the buyer beware”.

It was soft an easy in retail stores to see when there’s something wrong with what you’ve purchased. For example, a shirt not fitting properly, or your appliance not turning on. With technology systems, these issues don’t often show themselves straight away. One bad cable can make an entire system turn sour. Actually, people fear public speaking more than death. Now, imagine presenting in front of 400 people with your audio systems cutting off halfway, or your projector turning off. That’s why it’s important to ensure that AV system is not only thoroughly checked by the Builder, or an AV installer, but peer-reviewed by the AV consultant.

Despite living in a house my entire life, when my wife and I had our first home built, we found it quite difficult to identify the significant defects with our house. Primarily because we weren’t familiar with the Building Codes and Standards. Whilst we could tell some things weren’t quite right, it wasn’t until we had a building inspector have a look at our concerns where we able to see what was an issue and what was normal. Having a person familiar with the standards in place, put our minds at ease knowing we had identified the actual problems for our long-term investment.

Lastly, AV systems are always the last thing installed at any site. This means any delays from the electrician and builders results in shortened installation times for the AV contractor. In order to meet demanding timelines, sometimes installers take short cuts. That’s why it’s important to have someone intimately familiar with the design to ensure no short cuts are made. Multiple times in the past we’ve had installers placed cheaper equipment on site despite charging for the more expensive equipment simply because it was faster to do so.

In summary, remember technology issues aren’t always apparent straight away. With Audio-Visual systems, it’s important to get an independent expert to check the system before final handover and make sure they’ve checked no short cuts have been made.

Here at konnectus, we’re not just about designing robust technology systems. We’re also about ensuring you’re protected during the installation. Thank you.